Creator Bio
Abū ’l-Faraj Hārūn
First Half of the 11th Century
Abū ’l-Faraj Hārūn, the leading student of Yūsuf ibn Nūḥ, succeeded his teacher as the head of the Karaite academy in Jerusalem. Abū ’l-Faraj composed numerous grammatical writings, not all of which survive, and was responsible for the abridgment of his teacher’s biblical commentary. Abū ’l-Faraj served as a conduit for many traditions of the Masoretes, and his scriptural insights, particularly his linguistic comments, were popular among eleventh- and twelfth-century Rabbanites living in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Byzantine Karaites, who translated his works into Hebrew, transmitted Abū ’l-Faraj’s writings to Europe.
Content by Abū ’l-Faraj Hārūn
Primary Source
Guide for the Reader [of Scripture]
Hidāyat al-qāri’
If one were to say “What do you say concerning the formation of these accents?” the response would be that they originated by convention among the people of the language, by the help of which they…
Primary Source
An Early Manuscript Copy of The Sufficient Book
The Sufficient Book is a digest of the Karaite Abū 'l-Faraj Hārūn's Judeo-Arabic grammatical work The Comprehensive Book, composed in the first half of the eleventh century, in Jerusalem. In this page…
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Glossary of Difficult Biblical Words
Introduction (selections)
We have completed [the work] requested by the eminent elder Abū l-Ṭayyib Samuel b. Manṣūr, may God preserve him, for his two sons, may God give them life, that is, the explanation [tafsīr] of…
Primary Source
The Abridgment
Commentary on Genesis 41:8
Query. If it is said, “Did not the Exalted cease to provide the magicians and sages of Egypt with the knowledge of interpreting dreams, with which they were familiar, and prevent them from arriving at…